Mayor Masilela did not mince his words, calling out Eskom for turning the lights off in Middelburg when large areas in municipalities like eMalahleni are kept on, despite the municipality owing Eskom hundreds of millions in debts.

Middelburg has no Eskom debt.

Moreover, Middelburg has companies like Thos Begbie who can power Middelburg during times of load-shedding, but waiting for Eskom’s approval.

Meanwhile, eMalahleni’s Eskom debt has reached a new record high, which is currently just short of R7 billion, with the utility threatening to cut the city’s power in the coming months.

Mayor Masilela ruffled more than a few feathers when he mounted the podium to give Eskom a tongue lashing, not only for the continued load-shedding affecting services and the economy, but for also not reaching out to the municipality ahead of announcing Friday’s signing.

Mayor Masilela lambasted Eskom for leaving his office in the lurch with the repurposing of the plant, saying locals will now queue in front of his office door to question why they haven’t been offered opportunities for possible training, employment and economic progression.

Eskom will repurpose the plant into a training facility for alternative energy production.
Hendrina and Grootvlei are also set to be mothballed in the next few months.

While Eskom has engaged with local councillors in the past on the closures, none have been consulted ahead of the final repurposing agreement.

Friday’s signing was between Eskom and state-owned Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet and the SA Renewable Energy Technology Centre, both outside-based initiatives.

Eskom, however, stole a leaf from the local Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s book, by repurposing the plant into a training facility, which the chamber suggested in a recovery plan.

The recovery plan centred around Eskom donating both Komati and Hendrina to the chamber for repurposing into renewable energy generators.

Mayor Masilela has a point.
Large parts of eMalahleni do not experience load-shedding.

The parts affected are mostly connected to the electrical circuits of the city’s water purification and pump station plants.

According to locals, eMalahleni’s taps will run completely dry for days if the purification works and pump stations are switched off for even two hours.
Large parts of the city regularly go days without a drop of water.

Meanwhile, a viral Twitter thread has also caught the attention of the mayor, with South Africans from all walks of life being asked where there’s no load-shedding, soliciting thousands of responses by people who say they’ve never experienced blackouts.

Eskom did not respond.